Culture and E-Business in Russia - Infographic

June 05, 2014

The Russian Federation is one of the 21 republics of the
Commonwealth of Independent States. Russia has an impressive
geographic location being bordered by Norway and Finland from the
north, Ukraine and Poland from the west, Georgia from the south and
China from the north. This location makes it a perfect center for
trade, arts and culture.

Despite the recent economic crisis, Russia has assumed a good
position in the global economy and has become the focus of much
attention from major investors around the world. Its economy is
expected to grow due to more regional political stability.

Facts about the Russian Market

With a population of 143 million people, Russia is
the largest market in Europe.

GDP $2.015 trillion (World Bank 2012)

GDP growth 3.4% (tradingeconomics.com 2012)

Population 143.5 million (World Bank 2012)

Internet population 75.9 million (Internet World Stats,
2012)

The European Union (EU) is Russia's main economic partner,
accounting for more than half of its external trade.

Russia has one of the world's fastest growing economies; Russia
has the largest GDP of the "BRIC" countries. (Forrester.com)

Russia ranks first among European countries in terms of number
of monthly Internet users, and Yandex, Mail.ru and Ria.ru have made
it into the top five in the News and Information category.
(comScore)

Culture Values in Russia

Russia is a traditional society full of symbols, rituals,
traditional values and contextual elements. At a macro-level the
culture of Russia can be described using five cultural values based
on the work of Hofstede. Professor Geert Hofstede conducted perhaps
the most comprehensive study of how values in the workplace are
influenced by culture. A country's culture is made unique by which
of the five values are incorporated into daily life and the
emphasis it puts on each. For example, Russia rates significantly
on all five values. See the report to learn more about the
cultural values.

Search Engine Optimization in Russia

If you are considering conducting a digital marketing (SEO)
campaign in Russia it is important to understand search engine
optimization in Russia and the top search engines to focus on while
targeting the Russian consumer.

Top search engines in Russia:

Yandex (62%)

Google (26%)

Mail ru (7%)

Rambler (1%)

Social Media in Russia

Understanding the social media landscape in Russia is one of the
most important components for online strategists looking to
leverage these channels to the Russian consumer. The report
attached to this blog provides the key insights and top social
networks for Russian consumers.

Key insights from the digital landscape in
Russia:

According to ComScore report, Facebook, despite all their
efforts, lost market share in Russia. While vKontakte increased
their number of visits by 22%, visits to Facebook from Russia
dropped by 18% during the period June 2012 - June 2013. (Source:
ComScore)

The number of social network users in Russia in 2014 is
expected to reach 65.5 million. (Source: statista.com)

Top Social Media Networks in Russia:

Vkontakte (52.34%)

Facebook (14.53%)

Odnoklassniki (11.04%)

Twitter (8.37%)

Youtube (6.92%)

Culture and Online Shopping in Russia

The following infographic provides several useful facts and
insights about Russia. The infographic contains a handy graphical
sampling of what's inside the report.

Doing Online Business in Russia

If you are planning to
do business in Russia, it is important to understand the needs of
your target customers. You will always need to understand the
consumer behavior, the language and the key insights about the
market. Our updated research report for the Russia market on
Website Globalization and e-Business along with accompanying
infographic covers a range of topics from language facts to website
translation tips for Russia.

The Russia country research report is 14+ pages and provides
useful information and statistics about the country and local
consumers and market. The newly updated report for 2014 is
available in PDF format and is free to download at: Website Globalization and E-Business
Series.

Looking to sell your goods or services in Russia

If you are looking to expand into the Russian market and have a
website localization project in the works, this report is for you.
First published in 2008 and newly updated for 2010, 2012, and 2014,
the report contains tips and information on e-business, website
translation and web consumers in Russia. The report also has a
nice link library with useful sites and resources for those wanting
to do business in Russia.

For more information on language and online business, you may
check our useful blog posts below:

Comments

Fotini Limes - Director, Global AccountsFluent in German, Greek, French and Italian (as well as
English), Fotini has over 15 years of localization industry
experience serving in a multitude of operational and sales roles.
She has extensive experience in document, software, website and
multimedia localization and manages day-to-day global production
for GPI's project management and translation teams. She has lived
and worked in Germany, Greece, France and the USA.